


It Went Like This

by eldrvarya



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, M/M, Neil josten is the worst at taking care of himself, Protective Andrew, The foxes react, andrew is a caring and loving bf and no one will take that away from me, but in a soft way, listen the last chapter is sleep deprived nonsense probably but here we are, mild panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2020-07-23 14:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20009923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldrvarya/pseuds/eldrvarya
Summary: 5 foxes that worry Andrew isn't good enough for Neil (and find out he is) and one that knew all along.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest fic I've written and I'm really surprised, and it all happened because I wanted to write Allison finding Neil sleeping on Andrew but I needed more than that and this happened.

1.

Allison was sure that whatever it was Neil and the Monster had, it wouldn’t last. The Monster was going to hurt Neil, get bored, decide he didn’t want hate sex, or any other number of reasons. Neil was going to get hurt. She saw it every time Andrew said ‘I hate you’ and Neil smiled. She was sure of it in the same way that she was sure that Neil cared for Andrew deeply. She saw it every time he fought, every time he said ‘He’s not a monster’ and believed it.

It went like this.

They had just finished a close, hard won 8-7 game, and they were on their way back home on the bus. Neil had scored 5 of those goals, and was understandably exhausted.

Wymack stopped the bus at a rest stop a couple hours outside Palmetto. “Everyone off my bus, last stop until we get back.” He didn’t stop to check if anyone had listened, getting off the bus himself first and walking off towards the small building.

It was only after the foxes had filtered off the bus to stretch that they noticed neither Neil nor Andrew had followed them. Andrew wasn’t much of a surprise, sometimes he’d stay behind just for a minute to get away from the others. Neil, on the other hand, hated sitting for these bus rides, and was usually quick to follow the others off so he could stretch his legs.

Matt shrugged it off quickly. “They played hard, they’re probably resting.”

Allison snorted and shook her head. “Neil has never rested a day in his life,” she said over her shoulder as she climbed back into the bus. She made her way towards the back, freezing when she met Andrew’s eyes.

Neil was asleep, curled up on the seat, his head turned into Andrew’s shoulder. It was honestly the cutest thing she had possibly ever seen. As she started to open her mouth to say something, he cut her off.

“If you wake him up,” he said softly, “you will be leaving this bus bleeding.”

She stopped, narrowing her eyes, quickly deciding that if he was that serious about keeping Neil asleep, then he wouldn’t be able to stop her from taking a picture. She pulled out her phone, quickly opening the camera.

“Don’t.”

“Come and stop me,” she taunted softly, snapping the picture. He only glared at her, not moving a muscle away from Neil. Triumphantly, she turned and walked back off the bus, ready to share the picture with the others, but she stopped short of the group.

In the picture, though he’s glaring directly at her, she sees that he had an arm wrapped around Neil, a hand resting on his waist. Andrew Minyard wasn’t just being used as a sleeping prop, he had been actively snuggling. She frowned down at the picture, thinking of how Andrew had been so careful to be quiet, how he had refused to move, not even to threaten her with a knife. 

She thought about Neil, in the middle of the court on his knees at Riko’s last game, and she thought about how Andrew was in the goalie’s box until he wasn’t. She thought about Andrew on the ground with Neil, touching his bandages with something akin to gentleness. She thought about hands around Kevin’s neck. She thought about how maybe, just maybe, she might have been wrong.

She sent the picture to Andrew and then quietly tucked her phone back into her pocket. That moment wasn’t for anyone else after all. As she made her way back to the foxes, she thought that maybe her boy would be alright.

2.

Dan had watched Neil get close to Andrew like she was watching a car accident in slow motion. She felt powerless to stop it, and she just knew Neil was going to get hurt by the end. Neil, with his smile and his words, was sharp. He was able to cut down every opponent and obstacle, with almost a sort of grace. Andrew, despite his knives, was blunt. He would beat against everything like a boulder until it broke down,  ~~especially~~ even if it was a person. She knew that the right kind of blows could break a knife, no matter how sharp it was.

It went like this.

It was finals week and Dan had stolen one of the bean bags in Neil’s dorm to study, as Allison had been shouting with someone on the phone in her own dorm, and she needed silence if she was going to get through this chapter. Neil sat at his desk, two different textbooks and a notebook open in front of him, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Andrew came in carrying a bag of food, going straight to the kitchen without sparing a glance towards anyone. There was quickly clattering noises, and several minutes later, Andrew came out with a bowl of cut up fruit. He deposited it unceremoniously on Neil’s desk. “Eat.”

Neil jumped slightly at the noise, glancing up at him before turning back to his notebook. “Later. I’m in the middle of a chapter.”

“You said that this morning, Josten. Eat.”

Neil huffed and reached over, grabbing a strawberry and popping it in his mouth before turning back to his work. Andrew tolerated it for all of 20 seconds before he reached over, neatly taking the pencil out of his hand and throwing it across the room.

“Andrew, I need--”

“Eat, junkie.”

Neil shot him a glare and picked up the bowl, eating more fruit. He tried to keep glaring, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he chewed and his eyes softened. Andrew covered his face with a hand and shoved him gently, finally turning to walk away. Once in the bedroom, Dan looked at Neil with wide eyes. “What was that?”

He shrugged, looking down at his bowl, picking out his next piece for fruit.  _ Avoiding eye contact _ , she thought. “I skipped breakfast to study.”

“Neil--” she started disapprovingly, but he waved her off.

“Save the lecture. Andrew’s been making sure I eat.” He gestured to his bowl to prove his point.

“He’s... what?” What caught her off guard the most about the statement was that it was said so easily, like this wasn’t the first time Andrew had done something like this.

“I’ve been studying a lot and I forget I need food sometimes, so he’s been making sure I get it.”

She fell silent, turning that over in her mind. She knew Neil started studying about a week and a half ago, which means for a week and a half Andrew has been monitoring when Neil eats and makes sure to pick up something if he doesn’t. From the looks of the fruit Neil was devouring, Andrew was probably making sure it was something he knew Neil would want to improve the likelihood of him eating it. And that... didn’t sound like brute force. That sounded softer, domestic, like Andrew actually cared and wasn’t using Neil for his own entertainment.

As Neil got up to put his bowl away and retrieve his pencil, she thought about the unknown number of meals Andrew had provided. She thought about the mornings she had seen Andrew silently pass over a cup of coffee to a smiling Neil. She thought about how sometimes, Andrew came to movie night. She thought about how a boulder can break, but she also thought about how a boulder is solid.

3.

Matt did not have the best memories with Andrew Minyard. He understood now why he did what he did, and he appreciates the turn his life took because of it, but he still prefers to keep a little distance between him and Minyard. He has great memories with Neil Josten, and loves being around him. He easily considers Neil to be one of his best friends. So it was more than a little disconcerting to learn that the two had become a package deal, that wherever Neil went, Andrew followed.

Matt wanted to believe that Neil knew what he was doing, that he wouldn’t be crushed when Andrew did something to hurt him. At the same time, he felt it might be a futile hope, considering how often Neil “I’m fine” Josten likes to get hurt.

It went like this.

Matt had decided that he and Neil needed to get brunch together once a week, usually on Saturdays. He liked trying different restaurants, and Neil never complained.

On one brunch date, a few minutes in, Neil’s phone rings, the screen lighting up with ‘Drew’. He looks extremely confused ( _ How is this boy still confused by phone calls? _ Matt thinks as he fondly shakes his head) and slowly answers it. He doesn’t say anything, putting the phone down 10 seconds later. “Apparently Andrew is coming.”

Matt makes himself smile. “Oh? That’s new.”

Neil shrugged, not offering any explanation or ideas why, and Matt knew if he pushed, Neil would get defensive. So instead, he asked, “Does he know where we are?”

“He didn’t ask, so I assume.”

“Maybe he’s just following your scent.”

Neil frowned, looking up from his menu. “What?”

“Well, I mean, he’s really good at always knowing where you are. My current theory is that he has a very good sense of smell.” 

Neil stared at him blankly. “Matt?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

He laughed and turned back to his menu. He studied it for a minute, debating between his options. “What are you gonna get?” he asked, looking up and startling slightly to see Andrew sliding quietly into the seat beside Neil.

“I think the french toast with the fruit,” he said slowly, still staring at the menu, though he was leaning slightly towards Andrew. Matt wondered if he knew he was doing it.

“No,” Andrew said flatly, reaching for the jelly packets and carefully stacking them.

Matt frowned at him. “You can’t just--”

“Why not?” Neil cut him off with a look, turning to Andrew.

“There’s cinnamon. Pick something else.”

Neil frowned, going back to the menu and looking at the french toast. “It doesn’t say cinnamon anywhere.”

“There’s cinnamon. Get me something.” Without another word, Andrew got up and walked away, leaving his jelly tower on the table.

Matt glared after him before turning to his friend, simmering with anger. “Hey, buddy? What the fuck was that about? He can’t just tell you what you can and can’t--”

“I’m allergic to cinnamon.” He had gone back to his menu, flipping idly through the pages.

“You’re... what?” He came up short, his anger abruptly cut off. “But... I’m pretty sure I’ve given you cinnamon before. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Neil shrugged, looking back up at him. “Andrew figured it out. He made pancakes and put cinnamon in them and my mouth and throat got itchy and he says my face was getting red. I just thought it happened when I ate food sometimes, he called me an idiot and got rid of the cinnamon.” He shrugged again and looked back at the menu. “The omelette probably doesn’t have cinnamon in it, right?”

When the server came to take their order, Neil ordered his own food and pancakes piled high with whipped cream and chocolate. Andrew came back shortly after and Matt took a moment to really watch them together. He watched as Andrew subtly raised his eyebrows at Neil, and he watched as Neil grinned, leaning slightly to bump their shoulders together. He watched as Andrew turned back to his jelly tower, and Neil began talking about a girl in one of his classes.

Matt started to think that maybe Neil really did know what he was doing. Maybe he really was just fine.

4.

Nicky loved his cousins, he really did. If he hadn’t, he would be in Germany right now, and he wasn’t, he was in South Carolina playing exy and he was happy. He missed Erik, but he really was happy, and he really did love his cousins. He loved all of his fox family, and no one could blame him if Neil was just a little bit of a favorite outside Aaron and Andrew. It was just...

Nicky had been the twins’ guardian for a minute while they were teenagers. He knew how they were around people, around relationships. He knew how Andrew was, how he didn’t  _ do _ relationships, how he barely ever spared anyone a glance. So he was more than a little... concerned when Neil latched onto Andrew, and Andrew seemed to latch onto Neil. At first it made sense, because they had a deal, and Andrew would rather die than break a deal. But then Neil dissolved the deal, and then Neil disappeared, and then Andrew showed more emotion that Nicky had possibly ever seen from him.

So yes, Nicky loved his cousin, but he was concerned Neil was going to get burned. He didn’t know how bored Andrew could get with people. Nicky was worried that Andrew was chasing being able to feel something about someone, and when he had caught the feelings, he would be done, and Neil would be dropped. He didn’t want to watch Neil fall, and he really didn’t want to watch Andrew stop caring.

It went like this.

Classes had ended, they didn’t have practice for weeks, and summer was officially in full swing. The foxes had decided to take a day trip to the beach before everyone left. Andrew had grumbled about not going, but the second Neil had agreed, he had refused to stay behind. They left early in the morning so they could make the most of the day. The day started uneventfully, the drive going smoothly, and the three cars all meeting at roughly the same time. They gathered all of their things, and they staked out a spot on the beach.

Kevin was nearly instantly bugging people to play volleyball until it was warm enough to go swimming, but they ignored him in favor of applying sunscreen, laying out towels, and putting up umbrellas.

“We can’t just play around all day, guys, we have to keep our stamina--” Kevin started.

“Would you drop it, Day? No one is on your side here,” Allison cut in, already donning oversized sunglasses and laying back on her towel in the sand.

“Face it, Kev, we’re relaxing today,” Dan agreed, sitting directly in the sand.

“Neil, surely  _ you _ \--” He tried again.

Neil shook his head from where he was laying by Andrew, still wearing his t-shirt. “Not this time, Day. I’ve never relaxed at a beach before, I’m doing it today.”

As Neil’s eyes were closed, he didn’t catch the sympathetic glances thrown his way, but Nicky had frozen. Wasn’t the last time he was at the beach the day his mother had died? He studied Neil and Andrew beside him, but they both looked at ease, enjoying the sea air. Maybe he was overreacting. They’d probably already considered that when they agreed to come. They knew what they were doing.

The sun crept higher in the sky, and the sand warmed and the water looked more and more inviting. Most of them went to swim in the ocean, but Nicky stayed behind to sun tan while Neil and Andrew laid under an umbrella, murmuring softly to each other.

They went to grab lunch at some point before returning to the beach. Kevin found people to play volleyball with, and the rest went back to the water, with the same three exceptions. As the sun sank closer to the horizon and it grew darker, Nicky could begin to smell the starts of someone’s bonfire. It had always been one of his favorite smells, and he felt himself relaxing even more before he heard a sharp, choked intake of air.

Quickly sitting up, he turned to the noise to see Neil trying to scrabble to his feet, his eyes wide and lost. Andrew quickly reached out, firmly wrapping his hand around the back of his neck. “Stop.”

Neil froze and looked to Andrew with wild eyes, but at the same time it seemed like he was looking far away. Nicky hesitated, not sure if he could help or if he needed to keep his distance.

“Your name is Neil Abram Josten. Say it.”

“M-my... My name is Neil. Neil Abram Josten,” he repeated back haltingly.

“You are a fox.”

“I... I am a fox.” Neil was very slowly coming back to himself, looking Andrew more directly in the eyes. “My name is Neil Abram Josten. I am a fox.”

“You are in South Carolina, not California. Your mother is not here. You are safe.”

“I am safe.”

“Come here,” Andrew finally murmured softly, pulling Neil closer until his face was buried in Andrew’s neck. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and then another one, and another until his breathing had slowed to normal and he pulled back again.

Nicky finally made his way to the water with the others. He had already seen too much of a private moment, but it made him think. He couldn’t help but wonder if Andrew came because he knew this would happen. He didn’t seem to want to come at all, and he’d stayed by Neil’s side the entire day. He knew exactly what Neil needed, and Nicky considered himself to be close to his friend, but he had his doubts that he or anyone else would have been able to stop Neil’s panic attack in its tracks.

He helped to pack up their things, and couldn’t help but think he was wrong. He couldn’t bring himself to think that Andrew would care that deeply for someone, that he would instigate such a gentle touch, and then get bored. And if Andrew wasn’t going to get bored, if he wasn’t going to stop caring... that just meant Neil wasn’t going to fall. And Nicky was able to stop worrying, and just be happy for his boys.

5.

Kevin was what one may call focused. Others may say he’s single minded. Andrew Minyard likes to say that he’s an exy asshole and frequently tells him to fuck off. Neil Josten likes to say that he’s just an asshole. It’s strange that these are the people he calls his closest friends, but c’est la vie.

The thing was, when his closest friends got together, he was worried. Sure, he was worried about their game, about their career. Being a gay athlete made success just that much harder, they might not get signed because teams won’t want to deal with the controversy, it would be so much easier for them if they just weren’t together. He’d told them that many times, and it hadn’t swayed them.

But he was also worried about them. They were both intense, and when they decided to care about something, they cared with the strength of hurricane level winds. It almost felt like they were actually able to level cities. With Andrew, it was about his family. He’d gone to juvie for his family, he’d been medicated for his family, he killed for his family. With Neil, it was exy, and living. He had risked everything that had been ingrained in him, every instinct that told him to run and to hide, just so he could play exy, even if it was broadcasted on television. Then he cared about living so much he tried, in his own mouthy way, to take on the actual yakuza.

He couldn’t help but wonder, if they were that intense apart, what could they possibly be like together? And what if they ever broke up? If they could level cities by themselves, the backlash of a break up would be catastrophic.

It went like this.

Neil had been checked just the wrong way into the wall of the court, and he had pulled a muscle in his shoulder. He had been told it would take three to six weeks to heal, and he was benched until then. After two weeks, he returned to night practice. Andrew didn’t argue with him when he said he wanted to go, and watched him like a hawk until he was appeased that Neil was just running laps. He had muttered “Junkie,” under his breath and gone to lay in the stands.

At three weeks, Andrew didn’t feel like going, and just tossed the keys to Neil. He drove confidently to the court, and nearly immediately changed out.

“Josten, what are you doing?”

“The doctor said three to six weeks, Kev. It’s been three weeks. I’ll take it easy. I can handle it.”

Kevin hesitated slightly, but he nodded. Neil needed to stay at the top of his game, and he’d gotten better about admitting when he needed a break. They started practice, and true to his word, Neil moved gently. He threw the ball like he was getting used to how a racket felt in his hands again, getting used to the weight. He didn’t practice for very long before changing out, and while a part of Kevin was annoyed, he was more proud that Josten was finally taking care of himself.

He did this for a few nights, lasting on the court longer with each night, and Kevin was impressed with his progress. One night, there was a loud pounding on the door in the middle of Neil throwing a ball. They turned to see an openly furious Andrew on the other side of the glass, banging on it again and jerking his thumb over his shoulder, telling them to come. He turned and stalked away, going towards the lounge.

Neil winced slightly and followed, Kevin hesitating much longer before following him. Kevin had only seen Andrew look mad a few times, and it was when someone was threatening his family, so he couldn’t think of why he would be so mad in the middle of night practice. He walked into the lounge in the middle of a sentence.

“-not using my arm that much, and--” Neil cut himself off as Andrew snarled at him.

“You’re not healed yet, Josten.”

Kevin slowly approached, raising his hands in a hopefully placating way. “Andrew, he’s really not--”

“You!” Andrew spun on him, stalking toward him until Kevin had his back against the wall. “How much of an idiot are you?”

“He’s not using it that much! He--”

“He can’t move his arm during the day, Day. It hurts. Too. Much. I thought if I gave him a couple days, either he would stop, or maybe you’d notice and put a stop to it. Wouldn’t want to irreparably hurt your best player, would you? But no. Here you are. Practicing.”

Kevin frowned slightly, trying to remember the last few days. He couldn’t remember Neil favoring his arm. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember Neil lifting his arm at all, but it hadn’t stood out to him, as it wasn’t his dominant arm. “Oh,” he said softly.

“Yes. Oh.” And there it was. The look that could level a city. The anger that could burn it to the ground.

“Drew,” Neil said softly behind him, and Andrew stopped. He glared at Kevin for a long while, and then stepped back, looking at Neil over his shoulder. “Drew, let’s go.” Kevin didn’t know what happened, didn’t know what changed Andrew’s mind, but he softened slightly. He turned and made his way to the locker room, and Neil changed out, and they left. Kevin didn’t dare go with them. He changed out on his own, and went back to the lounge, laying on the couch to think.

Had it been something in Josten’s voice? His face? The way he held himself? Andrew was ready to level a city, and inexplicably, Neil had stopped him. Kevin hadn’t really considered that two destructive forces might be able to balance each other out, instead of both being a ticking time bomb. It was an interesting way to look at it. An interesting way to look at them. He had a feeling it might fit them just a little bit better, too.

+1.

David Wymack loved all of his kids, but sometimes, they were idiots.

It went like this.

Andrew Minyard, a volatile force to be reckoned with, had taken Neil to Columbia. He didn’t have all the specifics, but he knew that Neil had hitchhiked home to get away from Andrew. Then, somehow, they were talking. Then, somehow, Neil had given Andrew his back.

It went like this.

Neil hung around the cousins and Kevin more often, but he still talked to the upperclassmen. He talked to everyone, and David could see his team getting a little bit closer. Even Andrew.

It went like this.

Andrew did things for Neil. Whenever people showed their exasperation or their confusion, Neil only ever said, “I asked.”

It went like this.

At Thanksgiving, Neil was the one that knew something was wrong. He’d heard the story enough, he knew that Neil was the one that knew to go looking for Andrew. Aaron had made the swing, but Neil had been the one to see.

It went like this.

When Andrew was being sent into rehab to get off his meds, aside from Bee, Neil had been the only one fully relieved. The others seemed glad to be rid of the mania, but they all were a little worried about what may lay beneath. All except for Neil.

It went like this.

Neil left for a holiday break, and came back battered and broken, and saying he had to protect Andrew. It was then that David took a minute to think about Andrew, to think about all the people he protects, and he’s suddenly unspeakably grateful for this red headed loud mouth who came in and suddenly had Minyard’s back, too.

It went like this.

There were soft glances that no one else seemed to catch, soft words that no one else seemed to hear, a quiet ‘yes or no’ in the locker room from time to time that no one else picked up on.

It went like this.

There was noise, there was a riot, anger, anger, anger, his  _ kids _ where were his  _ kids _ , and he finally got them all on the bus until Andrew froze. “Where’s Neil?” And oh, no, one of his kids wasn’t here.

“It’s alright, Andrew, we’ll find him.”

The chaos dies down, and he watches as Andrew is the first one off the bus, and he watches as Andrew comes back with a too familiar duffel back and he throws it on the ground with an empty, “He’s gone.”

There’s a phone, and a countdown, and a Maryland phone number, and then there’s hands around a neck, hands that were meant to protect that neck, hands breaking a deal with every breath, trying to squeeze answers out because Neil is  _ gone _ and somehow Kevin  _ knows why _ and Andrew doesn’t like not knowing things about the people he cares about.

It went like this.

A hotel room, and he’s running to chase after Andrew, with the younger legs and the desperate need to get to the boy he ~~loves~~ ~~likes~~ ~~cares~~ hates.

It went like this.

Their relationship may have started out rough, with a borrowed racket swung into Neil’s stomach, but they were always going to end up here. Neil managed to make Andrew listen, to care. Andrew managed to make Neil want to stay.

Anytime David looks at them, he’s reminded of paintings that come in a set. The paintings that are able to hang on their own, and be fascinating and beautiful all by themselves, but when they’re next to their pair? They finish a bigger picture.

It went like this.

David Wymack loves his kids, all of them, he really does. But he can’t believe how long it takes some of them to see what he saw a month after Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard collided.


	2. Andrew's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Andrew knows what the foxes think of his relationship with Neil and doesn't care (except for the fact that Neil so clearly does)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically a hair crawled up my ass and I couldn't rest until I wrote this, and I don't know when I decided I needed to write it, but I did, so here we are.

1.

Andrew saw the way that Reynolds watched him, always with a slight sneer on her face. He knew what she must think when she sees him with Neil, hears it every time she calls him ‘Monster’. It’s not that he cares about what she thinks of him, it’s that clearly Neil does. Neil is friends with her, close with her, and he sees how much it affects him when she says what she thinks.

It went like this.

The team was chattering on the bus, topics flying past him. Kevin went on about how the game went, trying to get anyone to listen to him. Matt was leaning over the seat in front of him, talking to Dan about what to get for dinner once they got back to Palmetto. Nicky was lamenting about how sore he was, and how excited he was to get back home to start drinking.

He sat in the back with Neil, as usual, saying nothing. Neil was leaning against him, fighting valiantly against sleep. He had scored most of the points this game, and though he would never admit it, something close to pride had wiggled its way into Andrew’s chest.

“Hey, Drew?” Neil mumbled softly. “How much longer?”

He’s not sure when they got so good at reading each other, when they were able to understand the real question under what is being said. It feels like they’ve always been able to do it, but he knows that’s not right. What he does know is that Neil is asking when he can sleep. Despite how much he trusts the foxes, he still wasn’t thrilled about sleeping around so many people if he could help it.

“Sleep, junkie,” is what he says.  _ I’m watching _ is what he knows Neil hears.

He wraps an arm around Neil’s waist, and Neil curls into him further. He settles against window to wait out the last couple hours of the trip.

Neil’s asleep nearly an hour when Wymack stops the bus and everyone files off. It only takes a couple minutes before they notice that they haven’t followed them off, and it’s Allison who comes back on to see what’s holding them up. He watches as she climbs back onto the bus, and walks down the aisle towards the back before she froze, staring at them with wide eyes. He watched as she slowly opened her mouth, probably to say something asinine, and he knew the second she did Neil would wake up. Neil had gotten used to a few noises and would sleep through them, but anyone’s voice that wasn’t Andrew’s had him waking up immediately.

“If you wake him up, you will be leaving this bus bleeding.”

He didn’t like the look on her face. Usually the threat of his knives was enough for people to leave him and his alone, but instead she pulled out her phone.

“Don’t.”

“Come and stop me.” And ah, that was it, wasn’t it? She had figured out that he wouldn’t actually move. After all, if he moved, wouldn’t Neil wake up anyway?

She smirked and spun on her heel, practically marching off the bus as Neil started to stir. “Drew...?”

“It’s fine, go back to sleep,” he murmured, rubbing gentle circles along his side.

As Neil fell back asleep, his own phone buzzed. He carefully pulled it from his pocket to see a text from Reynolds, the picture she had taken.

If he made it his phone background, that was no one’s business but his.

(The next time she sees him with Neil, she calls him ‘Andrew’ instead of ‘Monster’, and he sees Neil’s shoulders drop just a bit in relief.)

2.

Despite her role as captain, despite how much she rallied to keep the team together, he knew how Wilds felt about him. It was a very poorly disguised feeling; she would only mildly glare at him when he knew she hated him. While Boyd had forgiven him for what had happened Freshman year, Wilds would absolutely kick him off the team if it was within her power and wouldn’t affect her team. He doesn't care. Neil does.

It went like this.

Having an eidetic memory was mostly a curse, but it did mean that when finals came around, he didn't have to study. The others did, and Neil was putting his all into doing every review and all the reading he could. 

The first time it happens, it was already night. Neil stood from his chair to stretch and wavered, quickly catching himself on the desk. Andrew just stared at him, waiting. "I got dizzy. I've been here all day, I just got a head rush." 

"All day?" 

"Yeah, I'm not even sure if I got up to eat? Which, come to think of it, that might be why I'm dizzy." He shrugged it off and made his way into the kitchen, unaware of Andrew's frown. 

The next day, he makes sure to pay attention. Neil shrugs off the offer of breakfast, and before Andrew leaves he leaves food in the pan on the stove. However, when he comes back after class, Neil is in the same spot and the food hasn’t been touched. He tolerates it for another hour before going into the kitchen and heating up the food, bringing it out to Neil in a bowl and setting it on top of the textbook he’s reading.

He looks up, startled at first, then annoyed as he pushes the bowl away. “I’m busy, Drew.”

“You haven’t eaten today.”

“I can eat later, I’ve gotta finish--”

“Eat your food, idiot. I don’t need you passing out from your own stupidity.”

Neil huffs. “Andrew, I don’t have time, I’ve gone longer without--”

“You’re not there anymore, you’re here, and here you have to eat.” Neil opens his mouth to argue again, and Andrew snatches the textbook up, replacing it with the shoved aside bowl of food. “You can have it back when you’re done.”

Neil narrows his eyes in irritation before finally giving in to eat his food. When he’s finished, Andrew gives the book back and takes the bowl into the kitchen.

Throughout the rest of the week, the pattern continues. Andrew finds that Neil fights less when fruit is involved, and he leans into it; fruit is better than nothing.

It was nearing the end of finals when he walks in with a grocery bag, and Wilds is silently studying in one of the bean bags. He passes by her without a word, and in turn she ignores him back. Her presence wasn’t bothering Neil, which means it certainly didn’t matter to him. He pulled out the various fruit, his lip curled as he started cutting them into bite sized pieces. He’d be glad for finals being over and Neil actually taking care of himself again--or, well, whatever passed for Neil taking care of himself.

Once he had filled a bowl, he carried it out to the desk and dropped it on one of the textbooks. “Eat.”

Neil jumped and barely spared him a glance. A  ~~large~~ part of him still marveled at how comfortable the junkie was around him, how he knew he was safe, how he knew Andrew wouldn’t do anything when Andrew himself wasn’t always sure. “Later. I’m in the middle of a chapter.”

It sounded way too close to ‘I’m fine’ for Andrew’s liking. “You said that this morning, Josten. Eat.”

Neil rolled his eyes with a huff and grabbed a strawberry, absently chewing it as he turned back to his work. Andrew waited for him to continue, and once he deemed it had taken too long, he snatched the pencil away and tossed it, not paying attention to where it landed. Neil looked up, glaring at him. “Andrew, I need--”

“Eat, junkie.”

Neil finally grabbed the bowl, leaning back in his chair to start eating in earnest. He tried to keep the glare as he ate, but he got that look in his eyes. That stupid look like Andrew meant something. He could see Neil’s eyes softening, that slight smile pulling on the corners of his lips, the look he only ever seemed to get when he looked at Andrew, the look he isn’t sure he deserves, and isn’t sure how he will ever deserve it. He reaches out and pushes Neil’s face away so he didn’t have to look at those eyes anymore and quickly retreated into the bedroom.

He moved up onto the dresser against the window to start smoking, and he could still hear the soft murmurs of conversation through the door.

(The next time Dan sees him, she gives him a considering look instead of a glare, and he sees Neil’s shoulders drop just a bit in relief.)

3.

Boyd was probably the teammate that tried the hardest to befriend his family, but he was still a little wary around Andrew. He couldn’t necessarily blame him, but he also just didn’t care. What happened already happened, there was no changing it, and even if he did believe in regret, he wouldn’t have regretted it anyway. He wasn’t going to let his brother be pulled back down when he had worked so hard to claw his way up. He saw the way Boyd was uncomfortable whenever they spent time together, but he never said anything, always put up with it so he could be around Neil, and eventually even Nicky.

It went like this.

Neil Josten was an idiot. That was all he could think as he watched as Neil’s face tried to do an impression of his hair.

“What,” is all he said, and Neil looked up, confused.

“What do you mean, what? What do I think of the pancakes? They’re good. They taste different. Did you put something new in them?” The idiot took another bite.

“Cinnamon.”

“Oh. Well, it’s good.” Another bite.

“Josten.”

“What?”

“Stop eating.”

Another confused frown. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Your face.”

This time, he rolled his eyes. “What about my face?”

“It’s red.”

“Wait... what?”

“Your face is turning red. Your lips are swelling. Stop eating, you’re clearly allergic.”

“I’m not allergic, I just get kinda itchy when I eat food sometimes.” He took another fucking bite.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” he snarled, and grabbed the plate away before the idiot could keep eating. He promptly got up and threw the batch of pancakes out, as well as the cinnamon.

With the idiot being who he was, Andrew made it a point to know what restaurants used cinnamon in what dishes in the area, which came in handy when Boyd decided that he needed to take Neil out to brunch on Saturdays.

One such Saturday, he’s on his way home when he sees Boyd’s truck in the parking lot of a restaurant. After a quick debate, he pulls out his phone to call Neil. A couple rings later, he answers. “I’m coming to you,” is all he says before hanging back up, not giving Neil a chance to respond.

He swings his car into a parking space and gets out, making his way inside the building. He ignored the host up front, walking past to look for Boyd--his height made him an easy target to spot. It didn’t take long, and he got there right at the tail end of a question, sliding into the booth next to Neil.

“I think the french toast with the fruit,” Neil answers.

He reaches for the container of jelly packets, and he skims through the information he has on this restaurant, and some kind of alert goes off in his brain. This place uses cinnamon on their french toast. “No.” The jelly packets obtained, he carefully starts to stack them.

Boyd, of course, comes to Neil’s defense. “You can’t just--”

“Why not?” And wasn’t that just the thing about Neil? He always seems to know when Andrew has a reason behind something.

“There’s cinnamon. Pick something else.” He placed the fifth packet of jelly on his tower, and he felt more than saw Neil look back at the menu.

“It doesn’t say cinnamon anywhere.”

“There’s cinnamon. Get me something.” He stood and walked away without explanation, the glare he was getting from Matt getting to be annoying. He steps out a side door and leans against the wall, closing his eyes and trying to get a hold of his irritation. Bee tried to remind him that if he was so intent on showing people a certain side of himself, he shouldn’t be so surprised when that’s all they see. Despite being used to it, when it came to Neil, it never ceased to annoy him.

A couple minutes later, he finally makes his way back inside, and back to the table. Boyd seems to have calmed down, and he looks at Neil, raising his eyebrows.  _ Everything good? _

Neil bumps his shoulder against Andrew’s, grinning.  _ Everything good. _

That sorted away, he turns back to his jelly, for the most part tuning out of the conversation.

(The next time Matt sees him, he doesn’t give him such a wide berth, and he sees Neil’s shoulders drop just a bit in relief.)

4.

Nicky was a worrier. Nicky had always been a worrier, for as long as Andrew had known him. Despite his happy personality, despite how much he cared, Andrew still saw how Nicky would shoot worried glances at Neil, and at him. He still heard how sometimes, when Nicky asked Neil “How are you?” he seemed to be braced for bad news. By the way Neil would snap a short answer, he knew that Neil heard it too.

It went like this.

Summer was starting, and the foxes had decided that it was a good idea to go on a trip together before they all went their separate ways. Not only did they decide to go on a trip, but they decided to go to the beach. Andrew didn’t care one way or another about the beach, and he didn’t really think spending time with his teammates sounded like a good time, but his main concern was with Neil. He knew that the last time he had been at a beach, he’d had to burn his mother in a stolen car. And so, when Wilds and Reynolds had both decided to go to the beach, he’d curled his lips. “No.”

Nicky immediately started to whine. “Oh, come on, Andrew! It’s the girls’ last chance before they have to be real adults!”

He turned his flat stare to his cousin. “And I’m heartbroken.”

“We don’t get to see them next year, we should go on this trip!”

“Absolutely not. I’m not going.”

Nicky went on for awhile longer before declaring that he would go without Andrew, which was just fine by him.

That night on the roof, Neil sits beside him and simply says, “I want to go.”

Andrew turns, blowing smoke at him. “Bad idea.”

“Dan and Allison and Renee aren’t coming back, I want to be able to go with them.”

“You better not be pushing yourself, Josten.”

“I don’t think I am. The California coast and the South Carolina coast are bound to be different. And it’ll be daytime, and it was nighttime before, and also there won’t be any burning cars.”

Andrew said nothing for awhile before finally grunting. Fine. He’d just have to be there with his idiot in case anything did end up going wrong.

The drive is the best part about the trip.

As soon as they get there, Kevin is going on about whatever shit it is Kevin goes on about, and Andrew dutifully ignored anything he said. He lays beside Neil, paying just enough attention to know if trouble came, but the day went smoothly. He stayed on a blanket in the sand with Neil, and at a certain point they leave for food before returning to their spot.

The trouble didn’t come until the sun began to set. Someone nearby started a bonfire, and as soon as the smell drifted to their spot, Neil made a sound like he was strangling. Andrew turned to see him try to scramble to his feet, his eyes thrown into the past. He knew from his own experience that Neil didn’t see him, didn’t see the beach, didn’t see anything but a car with the dead body of his mother in it as it burned on another beach 3000 miles away.

Working almost on instinct, his hand darted out to grip the back of Neil’s neck. “Stop.” The sound got Neil to face him, but he still wasn’t looking, wasn’t seeing. He, unfortunately, knew this song and dance, knew what he had to say, the same way Neil knew what to say when their roles were reversed. “Your name is Neil Abram Josten. Say it.”

It took a few seconds before Neil seemed to process that words had been directed at him, and another few after that to make any sense of them. “M-my... My name is Neil. Neil Abram Josten.”

“You are a fox.”

“I... I am a fox.” Neil’s eyes start to clear, start to see more of Andrew than of the past. “My name is Neil Abram Josten. I am a fox,” he says again, his voice slightly stronger.

“You are in South Carolina, not California. Your mother is not here. You are safe.”

At that, Neil nods slightly, almost to himself. “I am safe.”

He watches as Neil slowly focuses on the world around him, and then his body starts to tremble, not enough to see it, but Andrew can feel it from the grip he still has on Neil’s neck. “Come here,” he says softly, pulling Neil closer, and he instantly buries his face in the crook of Andrew’s neck. Andrew takes slow, deep breaths, and waits for Neil’s to match up. After a few tries, his breath doesn’t shudder, and his body stops trembling, and he pulls himself back.

He doesn’t say anything as he lays back on the towel, throwing an arm over his eyes, and Andrew keeps watching him. “What do you need?”

He has no problem waiting for Neil’s answer. “Just... stay with me.” Andrew nods and lays beside him, sliding his hand between their bodies to hold Neil’s unoccupied one, somewhere no one else could see.

This was only for them.

(The next time Nicky asks “How are you?” he’s only smiling, no worry in his eyes, and he sees Neil’s shoulders drop just a bit in relief.)

5.

Kevin is an annoying, stupid, exy asshole, and one of Andrew’s favorite things is to tell him to fuck off.

It went like this.

Neil took a particularly rough check against the plexiglass during a game, and he crumbled to the ground quickly and took too long to get up. Halfway up, he tried to use his arm to support himself against the wall and cried out, finally signalling to pause the game, and Andrew was immediately out of the goalie’s box and pressing the offending party against the wall with his exy stick.

Neil was taken out of the game, and soon after came the diagnosis of a pulled muscle, and the news that he was benched for the next few weeks until it was healed.

His junkie manages to make it two weeks before he finally gives in and asks to be taken along with Andrew and Kevin to night practice. Once at the court, he stayed nearby as the two junkies ran laps, except when Kevin broke off to do drills, Neil kept running. Andrew watched for another couple minutes before he muttered, “Junkie,” to himself and went to lay in the stands as usual.

Another week later, Andrew is having a bad night and can’t stand to be around anyone, so he sends Neil off with the keys.

The next morning at breakfast, he watches as Neil starts to lift his left arm only to wince slightly and move to his right arm quickly. The fucking idiot had clearly practiced the night before. He didn’t say anything, just watching quietly as Neil did his best not to use his left arm all day. That night, Andrew just tosses his keys again. Josten would likely practice one more night before realizing that he wasn’t healed yet, and he wouldn’t accept it if Andrew was hovering over him all night.

And yet, the next morning, Neil doesn’t even attempt to use his left arm. Andrew lets this go one for one more night, and finally gets fed up on the fourth one. He makes his way to the stadium shortly after the two leave, and sure enough he sees them both on the court, in their gear and going through drills. He goes straight to the plexiglass and pounds on the wall until he has their attention, jerking his thumb to the lounge and turning away before he can see their reactions.

Neil gets there first. “Drew, what are you--”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m practicing, that’s what we do at night--”

“Don’t give me that shit, Josten. Your arm--”

“Come on, Drew, I’m not using my arm that much, and--”

Andrew curls his lip at him. “You’re not healed yet, Josten.”

He’s so mad, he doesn’t hear when Kevin walks in until he speaks. “Andrew, he’s really not--”

Andrew spins towards him. “You!” He quickly makes his way towards Kevin, until the man’s back is pressed against the wall. He fights the urge to strangle the coward. “How much of an idiot are you?”

“He’s not using it that much! He--”

“He can’t move his arm during the day, Day. It hurts. Too. Much.” He hears Neil suck in a breath behind him, probably shocked that he’d been caught out. In front of him, Kevin only looked confused, and that only pissed him off more. “I thought if I gave him a couple days, either he would stop, or maybe you’d notice and put a stop to it. Wouldn’t want to irreparably hurt your best player, would you? But no. Here you are. Practicing.”

Kevin began to frown as he thought, and it looked like a very punchable frown, but still Andrew held back. He wanted to shake sense into him, but barely managed to hold himself back. Finally, Kevin’s confusion slowly cleared, realization dawning on him. “Oh,” was all he said, and Andrew was again struck with the urge to stab the coward.

“Yes. Oh.” At the thought that Kevin not only allowed Neil to push himself, but that he hadn’t thought to watch for the consequences, Andrew grew furious. He could see Kevin, tall as he was, seem to shrink in front of him. He began to think of all the ways he could knock him down even more.

“Drew,” Neil said behind him, his voice soft, and Andrew froze. Neil only ever called him ‘Drew’ when they weren’t likely to be overheard, only when that look he would get on his face seemed to leak out through his mouth. So he stepped away from Kevin and looked over his shoulder, his rage still simmering just beneath the surface, and there it was. There was that look. “Drew, let’s go.”  _ Drew, it’s ok. Drew, I’m ok. Drew, let’s go home. Drew, don’t kill Kevin. Drew, thank you. Thank you for caring so much. _ There was so much behind ‘let’s go’, too much for Andrew to look at, so he turned away and made his way to the locker room, listening as Neil followed.

He’s in the middle of changing out when Andrew speaks up again. “You’re not healed yet.”  _ I don’t like you being hurt. _

“I know.”  _ I’m sorry. _

“Playing like this will only make it worse.”  _ You could have done so much worse. _

“I know.”  _ I’m sorry. _

“Do you want to not be able to play?”  _ They’ll kill you if you can’t play. _

“I can still play.”  _ They won’t kill me. _

“No more night practice.”  _ I don’t want you to die. _

“Ok. Not until I’m healed.”  _ I’m sorry. I won’t hurt myself anymore. _

“Hurry up, junkie. I want to go home.”  _ I need to keep you safe. _

(The next time Kevin sees him, he does his best to keep at least five feet away from Andrew, and he sees Neil’s shoulders shake with poorly concealed laughter, which is arguably better than relief.)

+1.

Coach noticed entirely too much for his own good.

It went like this.

Andrew didn’t trust Neil as far as he could throw him, and then there was the deal to protect him, and Wymack just looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

It went like this.

Wymack sent Neil onto the court to ask him to play, and it worked, and Andrew hated that Wymack knew that it would work.

It went like this.

Thanksgiving happened, and Drake, and then Neil was there, and then he was being shipped off to rehab and he felt Wymack’s eyes on them as they said their goodbyes. He looked over to see a promise in his coach’s eyes, but a promise of what he wasn’t sure.

It went like this.

Andrew got out of rehab, and when Neil came to get him, he was hurt. Nicky told him what happened, but later it’s Wymack that watches him with a quirked eyebrow, almost taunting him in how he knew that Neil was trying to protect him.

It went like this.

He could feel Wymack’s eyes on them on bus rides, on flights, in the locker room, in the lounge, seeing, seeing, always  _ seeing _ .

It went like this.

Neil says, “Thank you. You were amazing,” and something is wrong but he’s not sure what. Then there’s noise and violence, and he has to make sure his family gets on that damn bus, except Neil isn’t there. Neil is missing, and he feels Wymack’s eyes on him when he’s the one that brings it up.

“It’s alright, Andrew. We’ll find him.” And Andrew hates how positive his coach is, because he didn’t hear Neil earlier, didn’t hear that odd tone and that odd choice of words, and so Andrew is off the bus as soon as he’s able.

It’s Wymack that follows him off the bus, but it’s him that finds the duffel bag, him that brings it back to the bus and the panicking eyes of the team and their coach. “He’s gone.”

And they check the bag, and they find the phone, and they find the deleted messages from the Maryland phone number and he hears as Kevin makes a choked noise somewhere behind him which means the coward was keeping secrets, and Andrew hates secrets. He moves before anyone can stop him and tries to squeeze the secrets out of his cowardly mouth, and it takes three sets of hands to pull him off, and Wymack yells at him for trying to kill Kevin, but his eyes hold a promise.

It went like this.

Wymack wouldn’t let him kill the FBI agent, and so now they’re shackled together, but he knows that Neil is up those stairs and through that door and the old man isn’t going _fast enough_ , he has to get to Neil, to the ~~liar~~ ~~martyr~~ ~~idiot~~ ~~junkie~~ boy he ~~loves~~ ~~likes~~ ~~cares~~ hates, and he knows Wymack hears everything he’s not saying.

It went like this.

He feels Wymack’s eyes on him in that hotel room. He feels Wymack’s eyes on him too much, seeing everything that no one else except maybe Neil can see.

Once they’re home, once it’s all over, they’re sitting in the lounge and he swears he hears Wymack scoff when the team starts talking about who owes money over which bet regarding Neil’s love life. When Wymack looks out over his team, Andrew can see the disbelief shining in his coach’s eyes.

It went like this.

Coach noticed entirely too much for his own good.

(He supposes it’s acceptable when he realizes he never has to watch Neil’s shoulders drop just a bit in relief, because they already know that Wymack accepts them.)


	3. Renee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renee gets to see the aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever write something new, or will I just keep telling this exact same story from different perspectives? Who knows.
> 
> Listen, I was half asleep and at 2 in the morning I suddenly Had To Write This Now. I am very tired. This is technically supposed to be a Renee POV but mostly it's just people yelling about how much Andrew cares while Renee sits quietly in the background, I did my best.

To be a fox you have to have something of a Tragic Backstory, and somehow David Wymack is excellent at spotting them. Renee Walker, however, has a little something extra, a little darkness that she does her best to hide away. She sees a similar darkness in Andrew, except he wears his like a shield, a distinction that somehow no one else seems to see. She sees that darkness rear up, ready to fight the first time she sees him together with Neil Josten, and she hears it when he tells her that he doesn't trust the newcomer, the liar, when he tells her that he's taking him to Columbia.

She knows, however, exactly what lengths Andrew will go to in order to protect his family. She can't quite deny the lengths that she herself would go if needed.

Perhaps because of the darkness, she sees the way Andrew looks at Neil. She sees the truth, and she knows it's not any of her business to share it with the others. She notices the glances they send each other, the simple give and take, the yes or no, the quiet conversations they have on the back of the bus.

She sees how the others, one by one, come to see the truth as well.

1.

When Allison finally saw the truth, it went like this.

“No, seriously, you should have seen them,” Allison insisted, waving an arm wildly, her drink sloshing over the rim of her glass. “They were cuddling! I swear they were!”

Dan snorted from her place on the couch, nursing her own drink slowly, already drunk from the shots they had decided to start out with. “That monster doesn’t cuddle.”

“Dan...” Renee reproached softly, and though Dan looked sheepish, she didn’t take it back.

“Ok, Reynolds, if you saw them cuddling I know you have proof. Cough it up.” Matt reached his hand out, making a grabbing motion.

Allison groaned, throwing herself back into her chair. “I can’t!”

Dan shook her head solemnly. “See? I knew it. Andrew doesn’t cuddle.”

“They do! He does! That mon--well... Andrew. He cuddles. So that his boyfriend can take a nap. And I totally took a picture, I did! But it just... it’s private, you know?” Allison was muttering by the end of her small rant, her words slurring together.

“I’m sure they appreciate you respecting their privacy, Allison,” Renee cut in, shooting a look at Dan, who had already opened her mouth to object.

“Yeah, well, they better, Neil was real cute in it.”

“Wait, I thought you said he threatened you,” Matt frowned.

“He did! But he didn’t even try to follow through, because of the whole ‘boyfriend sleeping on him’ thing, you know? The m--Andrew has a heart after all.”

Renee’s drunk teammates keep talking, and she takes a sip of her water, noting with pleasure that Allison had stopped herself from saying ‘monster’ twice now.

2.

When Dan finally saw the truth, it went like this.

Dan had been quiet for awhile, staring blankly at the movie playing, but clearly not paying attention. She didn’t seem upset, so Renee waits for her to talk about whatever was bothering her when she was ready. They’re almost halfway done before she finally opens her mouth.

“I don’t know when the last time Matt ate was.”

Renee frowned slightly in confusion. “I’m sure it was at lunch?”

“What if it wasn’t? Is he studying so hard he’s not eating? Are you studying so hard you’re not eating?”

“I’m eating, Dan. What is this about?”

“Andrew knows the last time Neil ate.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I was studying with Neil and Andrew just came in with food for him, and Neil told me he hasn’t been eating as much because he just ‘forgets’, which first of all, that boy is a walking disaster, but Andrew just knowing and making sure he eats? That’s not... That...”

“It doesn’t match up with the picture you made of him in your head.”

“No! It doesn’t! Andrew is the guy who... who pulls knives on people, and he strangles people, he doesn’t... he doesn’t  _ care _ .”

Renee frowned, shaking her head. “Dan... why do you think he does those things?”

“I don’t know, because he’s crazy?”

“It’s because he cares. Andrew has always cared. I think it’s sweet he’s making sure Neil doesn’t make himself sick.”

Dan is quiet again for several long minutes before finally whispering, “Shit.  _ Shit. _ He really does care, doesn’t he?”

Renee lets them fall back into silence as the movie resumes.

3.

When Matt finally saw the truth, it went like this.

It was just after noon when Matt burst into the girls’ dorm, his eyes wide. Renee looked up from where she sat at her desk.

“Did you know that Neil’s allergic to cinnamon?”

Dan made a face as she walked from the kitchen. “He can’t be. Didn’t you put cinnamon in those cookies you made last month?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I sure did! Just casually poisoning my best friend, no big deal.”

“He would have told you if he was allergic to them.”

“Not if he didn’t know he was allergic, babe! Not if I gave him the cookies before Andrew gave him the pancakes!”

“Matt, who doesn’t know if they’re allergic to something?”

“Neil didn’t know what a friend was.”

Dan’s quiet for a moment. “Ok, yeah, if anyone wouldn’t know it would be Neil. But still, I’m sure he’s eaten cinnamon before and been fine.”

“Not according to what he said. He said he thought food just did that sometimes, and Andrew’s the one that realized he had an allergy.

Allison barely glanced up from her phone. “Yeah, that sounds pretty on brand for them, honestly.”

Renee laughed softly. “I suppose we should make sure to avoid cinnamon in the future, shouldn’t we?”

4.

When Nicky finally saw the truth, it went like this.

The car ride back from the beach is mostly quiet, Allison singing softly to the music as she drove while Dan and Renee dozed, Nicky sitting in the back beside Dan.

“Hey, uh, guys?” Nicky starts hesitantly. “Today was great and fun and all, but we should probably, um... not go to the beach again. You know, as a team?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Nicky?” Allison glanced back at him through the rear view mirror. The others also stirred, turning their bleary eyes on him.

“It’s just... Neil. I saw him, um... that bonfire really got to him, you know?”

Dan frowned. “Why would a--”

Allison cut in with a curse. “Oh,  _ fuck _ .”

“Yeah, I kind of forgot until I saw him freak out a little bit, and I think we should probably... avoid it in the future.”

“What are you two talk--Oh, shit, his mom.” Dan’s eyes widened and she paled. “We completely forgot about his mom.”

“Why would he even come to the beach with us? He had to know it might fuck with him, right?” Allison chanced a glance back at them, clearly confused.

“Because,” Renee started, “we told him it was our final wish for the team. We all know how much Neil cares for us.”

Nicky nodded. “And he does have that martyr complex.”

“How was he, Nicky?” Dan asked softly. “You said he only freaked out a little bit, right?”

“Yeah, uh... Andrew helped him. Knew just what to do. It’s almost like... like he was expecting it.”

Dan snorted. “Yeah, he probably was.”

Nicky frowned, shaking his head. “What does that mean? Are you trying to say he just always looks for things to go wrong, or what?”

“No, he’s just super in tune with what his boyfriend needs at all times.”

Allison hummed softly, considering. “Come to think of it, that’s probably why he came today, isn’t it? You know how he gets around all of us.”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Nicky spluttered.

Renee smiled softly, looking out the window as Dan said, “You’ve just gotta watch, Nick.”

5.

When Kevin finally saw the truth, it went like this.

Renee walked into the Fox lounge, pausing when she saw Kevin. “Why are you laying on the couch?”

He glared up at her. “Slept here last night.”

“I see. And... why did you sleep here last night?”

“Andrew might have killed me if I didn’t.”

“Mm.” She cocked her head. “And... why would Andrew have killed you?”

Kevin pushed himself up, using it as an excuse to look away. “I might have been practicing with Neil sooner than his injury allowed.”

“Yes, I suppose that would make Andrew want to kill you.” She moved to turn away and change out for practice, but his voice stopped her.

“Hey, Renee? How... How are you never surprised? Anytime Andrew does something... you always just accept it.”

“That’s because Andrew always has a reason for what he does. It’s not usually that hard to see what the reason is.”

“And what about this? Neil gets hurt so Andrew might kill me. What’s the reason there? Neil was the one pushing himself.”

“Oh, that’s an easy one.” She continued to the locker room.

“How? How is that an easy one?”

She grinned, looking over her shoulder. “It’s because Andrew loves his boyfriend dearly.”

+1.

David Wymack had a good eye for seeing when someone had a Tragic Backstory. He also had a good eye for seeing when they start to heal from it, when they let themselves be happy.

It went like this.

Coach didn’t need a big moment, he didn’t need to see Andrew care for Neil, he didn’t need to have proof that he paid attention.

David Wymack always saw the truth.


End file.
